


Rose of Ragnelle

by thatzodiacsky



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 21:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatzodiacsky/pseuds/thatzodiacsky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A great beast lives in the forest, and a young boy becomes her prisoner. A Beauty and the Beast AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a kingdom that neither had a name nor needed one, there was a small house that served as an orphanage. It was so small, in fact, that it housed only four children, one of which was the daughter of the couple than ran the orphanage. The others were unwanted children taken in out of pity.

Ayano, the eldest, was kind and gentle, always helping her parents to care for the younger ones. Kido was fierce and independent, never wanting help from anyone. Kano lied his way through life, but he cared deeply for his siblings, even if he rarely showed it. Seto was the weakest of the three, and he often cried, but he always did his best to help when he could.

Though the little family was happy, they had money troubles at times. The father was a tutor in the city, and he would travel back and forth, spending months away from home. His job brought in just enough to keep them fed and clothed. But one day he came home with terrible news.

"I was on my way home," he said, his head bowed with exhaustion. The children crowded at his feet. "I was lost in the forest, it was raining horribly.. and I found a castle."

A castle? They’d never heard of anyone living in the forest before, though of course there were stories of the monsters that lurked between the trees.

"I thought it was a blessing, and I went inside…but inside, I was confronted by a terrible beast. It was going to keep me captive…but then I told it that I had to say goodbye to my children."

Ayano gasped, a hand over her mouth. ”It let you leave? Just like that?”

Her father was already shaking his head, exhaustion creasing the corners of his eyes. ”I promised to return. If I don’t, it will destroy this town. Unless I can find someone to take my place—” 

"I’ll go!" Ayano said, determined, clenching her fists. It was her job as a big sister, after all. She knew that without her father’s income the family would starve.

Her parents begged her not to go, but her mind was made up. It was a practical response, but the children wept too, holding onto her skirt and not wanting to let go. Finally, her father gave in. He drew her a map to the castle, and told her that he’d been given three days.

The family spent the next two days trying to say goodbye, but of course it wasn’t enough time. As the hours wore on, Ayano’s expression became even sadder, and the children couldn’t stop crying. Ayano was the world to them, and they didn’t know how they would survive without her.

That night, as they drifted off to sleep and the candles burned low, Seto found himself unable to sleep. He rolled over, and he could see the tear marks on his sibling’s cheeks. What would they do without Ayano? He just didn’t know.

Hardly knowing what he was doing, the tiny boy got out of bed. He kissed his siblings on the forehead as a goodbye, and neither of them awoke. Then he crept to Ayano’s bed. He took the map, and his hands hesitated over her hair clips that lay next to her bed. He knew he couldn’t make the journey without her courage to guide him. The night was cold, however, and he took her favorite red scarf instead. He laced his boots and, with many long looks over his shoulder, disappeared into the forest.

The moon was out, so he was able to read the map in between the patches of light where branches didn’t leave shadows. It seemed awfully straightforward, and Seto wondered why no one had found the castle before. He looked up at the iron gates in awe, then snuggled down into the wool scarf. He couldn’t find the latch, so he knocked, the metal hurting his small fist. 

The gates creaked open. 

His heart pounding, the little boy walked into the courtyard, statues around him making terrifying shadows on the walls. Why would anyone have so many statues of frightened people? He supposed it must be standard monster lawn decor, but still it scared him.

The gates clanged shut, and he screamed. He whirled around, but there was nothing behind him. A soft hissing filled the courtyard.

"Don’t turn around," a voice said, and he nearly screamed again. it was a woman’s voice, or maybe several, and it was accompanied by whispers that sounded like snakes. "If you do, you’ll become just like all those ‘statues’ in this place."

He swallowed. No wonder they’d seemed so realistic. Gathering his courage, he spoke. ”I came in place of my father,” he squeaked out, and the hissing intensified. 

"You? You’re not more than a child. He sent you in his place?" The voice spat out the words, like it was cursing the man it let go. 

Seto fought not to look in the direction of the voice. ”I ran away! My family needs him, or they’ll starve.” The whispers quieted, and for a moment he wondered if the monster was gone.

"When I have left, take the first door on the right, then go down the stairs. Pick one of the rooms on that hallway, because it will be yours for the rest of your life." Seto was too terrified to reply, but the beast didn’t seem to be expecting it. The slithering noises faded, and after counting to fifty, Seto judged it safe. He turned around, and the doorway was empty, though the door was open just a crack.

The boy followed the directions, trotting down the stone steps. He was eager to get to his room and warm up, for the journey had been long and cold. The hallway had many doors and he chose one at random, walking inside.

It was a bare stone room with only a wooden bench in the corner and some straw on the floor. He blinked in confusion, and said aloud, “But this is a dungeon.” The door behind him slammed, and when he tried it, it was locked. 

Resigning himself to his fate, the child sat down in the corner, pulling the scarf around him, and tried to warm himself enough to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When the sun rose and the little cell warmed, the boy tried the door, hoping against hope it would be unlocked. Somehow, though he hadn’t heard a thing in the night, it was. The boy was too tired to try to figure out how it had happened. He was hungry, so he began to search the stone halls for a kitchen. Surely the beast wouldn’t keep him here with nothing to eat at all? He wouldn’t last very long that way.

Sure enough, after a few minutes Seto came across a room with a long table that was fully set. He was unsure if it was meant for him, but he was hungry, so he sat down and began to eat.

Halfway through the meal he heard the telltale hissing noises fill the room, and he dropped his fork. That night he had turned the problem over in his mind and knotted the scarf behind his neck, making a sort of makeshift blindfold. So the second he heard the monster approaching he pulled it up over his eyes, determined not to turn to stone.

"You’ve learned," the voices said, and he thought he heard a sort of approval. The boy heard dishes and cups clinking, as though they were being gathered up. He supposed that monsters had to eat as well.

"I had a job for your father," the voices were hissing, "but you will have to do what you can. The rocks in the courtyard need clearing. Do not touch the statues."

Seto nodded, understanding. Some of the boulders had been almost as big as him, but he would figure something out. The hissing began to fade.

"Wait!" he said, gripping he edge of the table. The whispers stopped altogether, but he mustered his courage and continued. "I’m Seto. Do you have a name?" 

"It won’t matter," she said, and before he could figure out what that meant, she was gone. The boy waited a few seconds to be sure, before removing the blindfold. There was no sign the monster had been there at all, except for the end of the table where several plates of food were missing. He made sure to eat as much as possible, so that food didn’t go to waste and he’d have the strength to do the work he needed to do.

When Seto went out into the courtyard, he saw that there was far more to do then he’d been able to tell in the dark. Rocks the size of fists littered the ground, and as he’d thought there were several much larger boulders. He ignored those and began to move the smaller rocks.

It was small going. He didn’t have a wheelbarrow or even a basket, and the weather was cold, so he had to stop every few minutes to blow on his bare hands, which stung from the chill. There was a bare patch by the wall behind the house where he left the rocks, both because it was out of sight and because he had a vague idea that if he piled the rocks high enough, he could get over the wall and get away. Of course, the monster had threatened to destroy the village before, but he had to give himself some form of hope.

Seto had barely made a dent in the courtyard when it began to get dark, and he went back inside. The food on the table had been replenished, and the monster was nowhere to be seen or heard, so he ate and then went back to his cell to sleep. 

The events repeated themselves for many days, until one day he went outside and the courtyard was covered in snow. The boy knew he’d get frostbite or worse if he tried to dig through the drifts to reach the rocks, and so he went back inside, hoping the monster would understand. 

There wasn’t much he could do, so he chose to explore the castle, shutting his eyes as he entered each room and calling ‘is anyone in here?” then he’d wait for awhile, until he was sure it was safe. One door he couldn’t open, and he rattled the doorknob, but it was locked, so he moved on.

As the boy wandered the hallways, he heard the monster behind him, and pulled the scarf over his eyes again.

"Good morning," he said, though his voice shook badly. He was still very afraid of her.

"What are you doing indoors?" the beast asked, her voices ranging between confused and demanding.

He hugged his arms around himself. ”It’s snowing outside…I’ll get sick if I try to clear the courtyard now.”

There was silence, and he didn’t know what he expected. Then something grabbed the front of his shirt, and he jumped. Then he was being led into a nearby room.

"This is the library," the voices said, and he was pushed backwards. Something hit the back of his knees, and he sat down on a chair he hadn’t known was there. There was movement across the room, and then something heavy and square was being laid across his knees. He felt it with his hands, and it was a book.

The voices came again, a little muffled. “You don’t have to work outside today. You can read to me instead.” 

"I gotta take off the scarf to read," he said, his voice unsteady, and he turned the book over in his hands.

"It’s safe," the voices promised, and he lowered the red fabric, looking around. He hadn’t seen the library yet, and it was a large room with bookshelves reaching towards the ceiling. One whole half of the room was sectioned off with a folding screen, and he could tell by the hissing that she was on the other side of that. 

The monster was waiting for him, so Seto opened the book, noting that it was a volume of fairy tales. He cleared his throat and began to read.

The rest of the winter was spent like that. The boy and the monster worked their way through the big fairy tale anthology, and then began on another. 

Seto became used to navigating the castle with the scarf tied around his eyes, one hand on the wall. He only rarely took it down when he knew it was safe. He missed his family, but he became more comfortable in this routine, and found himself crying less and less every night. As he became used to not needing sight all the time, sometimes the monster would join him for meals as well. Sometimes, he would ask her questions.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Longer than you could ever know." Her answers were never satisfactory, so more often that not he talked to her instead. He told her about his family, about silly things Kano had said or brave things Kido had done. He told her about Ayano’s little nonsense songs that she’d taught them, and, feeling self conscious, he sang them for her. She seemed at least to listen. 

Spring came, and though he resumed work in the courtyard, at her request he spent the mornings moving rocks and the afternoons reading to her. Sometimes he wondered why she couldn’t read to herself, but he didn’t mind. It was a relief to sit down after a morning of hard work. Sometimes he even forgot he was a prisoner. However, any feelings of friendship or sympathy he had towards her disappeared when, around a year from the time he’d been captured, he discovered he wasn’t the only person held captive in that castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Winter had come and gone again a second time since Seto had lived in the castle under the monster’s rule. He’d grown accustomed to the life there, and though he never left the arms of the tall stone walls, he grew strong through the work of clearing the boulders. The end of the task began to be within his sights, and he wondered what would happen when he finished. Would he be allowed to go free? Or would she dispose of him through death or petrification? Perhaps all he was doing was clearing space for the statue he would one day be.

Those thoughts pressed in at the back of his mind, but Seto refused to let himself dwell on them too harshly. He was trying to shake the worries from his head one day as he made the trip from the dungeon room to the courtyard, blindfolded as always, when he crashed into someone going the opposite way.

There was only him and the monster in that place, so he was terrified, but the squeak of surprise was that of a young girl’s, and sounded nothing like the beast.

"Hello?" Seto called, holding his hands out like a blind man. As he took a step forward, something small shifted under his foot and he slipped, crashing to the floor. Wincing in pain, he removed the blindfold.

What he’d fallen on had been a small metal key, plain and undecorated except for the long ribbon tied through the loop at the end. When he picked it up, it was warm, like it had been clasped firmly in a hand before his.

"Is this yours?" he asked, looking up at the stranger.

She was his age or maybe a year older, and she looked terrified. She wore an unremarkable blue dress that was threadbare at the elbows, and she was barefoot. But perhaps the most shocking thing about the stranger was her hair, which was white as snow and fell far beyond her waist, though it was difficult to judge now with her sprawled on the floor like she was.

She was covering her eyes. Seto realized with a surprise that she must think him the monster as well. He moved forward to kneel next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m a prisoner here,” he told her, hoping it would reassure her. “I’ve got your key.”

Slowly, the girl lowered her hands.

"Are you also trapped?" he asked, lowering his voice as he realized the monster might hear them somehow. "If you’re not, you should get out of here as soon as possible. Whatever you’re looking for isn’t worth getting turned to stone."

Somehow, that seemed to help her find her voice. “I’m also…trapped here,” she said quietly, her eyes darting around the hallway. “I’ve been unable to leave as long as I can remember.” Seto supposed that if he’d grown up with the monster, he too would be afraid to look someone in the eye. It wasn’t entirely strange that they’d never crossed paths before; Seto had been there a little over a year, but the castle was massive and he never went anywhere other than the dining hall, the dungeon, the courtyard, and the library. It would be possible for him to live here many years and never seen the entirety of what the fortress had to offer.

Seto offered her his hand. If they were prisoners together, that made them comrades, in a way. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. “My name’s Seto,” he told her cheerfully, holding out the key.

She took it carefully, curling her fingers in the ribbon and lowering it into a hidden pocket of her apron without touching the metal. “Please call me Mary,” she said in a soft voice when she was done.

"What you do here?" he asked, curious. He had to get to the courtyard, but it could wait a little while.

"Um…" Mary looked down, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "I make sure there’s food in the hall. I clean, sometimes."

Every inch of the castle that Seto had seen so far had looked dusty and cobwebbed. He chuckled. “That’s a big job for a kid! All I’m responsible for is the courtyard, that’s way easier. Maybe I should help you clean sometimes?”

Mary looked at him for the first time, staring in surprise. She looked like a kid who’d found candy they knew they shoudn’t be eating; delighted and shocked, but also guilty. “Maybe…”

"Do you think the monster would let me? I’m almost done with my job at this point…" Seto’s motives were not entirely selfless; he wanted to help her, sure, but he also wanted to make sure the beast didn’t destroy him when he’d finished the task.

That seemed to startle Mary even further, and she looked down at the floor. “I can ask,” she said quietly, and Seto marveled. His conversations with the monster were brief, when he wasn’t reading to her or telling her stories. He would never think to ask for a favor. This girl was either incredibly brave or she knew the monster much better than he did, having been here for so long.

Mary pointed up the staircase. “I was going up there. To the second floor.”

Seto moved out of her way. “Hey, you can probably see the courtyard from up there! I’ll wave up at the windows just in case.” He wouldn’t be able to see her, of course, because they were stained glass, but she might be able to peer through the clear panels and catch a glimpse of him. Mary nodded, and without another word scurried up the stairs and out of sight.

He retied the scarf around his head, placed one hand on the rough stone wall, and continued on the familiar path to the courtyard. When he reached it, there were even fewer boulders then he remembered, and most of them were so large he would probably have to roll them. Before he got started, however, he shielded his eyes from the sun and waved up at the windows above him. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw a flicker of movement in the stained glass window above him.

With a warmth in his heart that helped stave off the early spring chill, he set to work, leaning his shoulder against the first and largest of the stones. It was comforting to know he wasn’t alone.

…

A few days later the boy was waiting for the monster in the library and straightening the scarf, trying to keep it straight on his eyes, when he felt something strange. The yarn seemed to be unraveling under his fingers, and he fought with it desperately, finally yanking it off his head to try to knot the fibers and stop it from coming apart.

Finally he managed to tie it in a way that he hoped it would stop unraveling, but the damage was already done. The scarf was maybe half the length it had originally been, and tears welled up in his eyes.

It was the last thing he really had from home, a reminder that his siblings were always with him, and here it was coming apart in front of him. Though he tried to be strong, his shoulders began to shake and the tears rolled down his face, landing on the red yarn in his lap. He clamped his hands over his eyes, as if trying to push the tears back in.

Familiar whispers filled the room, but he couldn’t stop crying. The voices spoke to him.

"Why are you crying?"

The young girl’s voice was concerned, but those of the grown woman and the crone were scornful and dismissive, and he shrank back in his chair, trying to swallow his sobs.

"My scarf’s coming apart," he managed, and the whispers slowed. He kept his hands over his eyes as he heard her come closer, then felt the weight of the scarf vanish from his lap.

There was a long pause, and he managed to get his tears under control, already hating himself for the moment of weakness that he was far too old for. He felt the scarf being laid across his knees again, but something else joined it. His head jerked up in surprise, though he didn’t lower his hands to find out what the second strip of cloth was.

"Take this. It will stop you from turning to stone at least."

Seto gulped down the last tears before they could fall, trying to keep a tremor from his voice. ”Thank you. But, it’s more than that. I miss my family. The scarf was a reminder of my sister.”

He expected to be told to shut up, to be told he was being foolish. But the monster seemed to be thinking about it. ”I’ll send you a mirror,” she said, “it will be in your room by tonight. Just by requesting a sight from it, you will be able to see whoever you like. That way you can keep your family in your heart.” 

Seto hadn’t expected such kindness. Had Mary been right when she spoke of talking to the monster like it was such a simple thing? ”Thank you,” he said, stunned.

"I won’t need you for the rest of today, so you can spend it however you like. I saw you finished in the courtyard. I’ll give you new instructions tomorrow." 

And before he could respond, the whispers were gone, and he waited several seconds before lowering his hands. The monster was surprisingly kind, he thought.

But the strip of fabric in his lap was pink and lace-edged at one side, and as he lifted it to examine it closer, he saw it seemed to be cut from a little girl’s dress. A white hair clung to it, and a chill ran down his spine as he remembered the other prisoner in this place. 

As long as he and Mary were captive here, he couldn’t let himself relax around the monster, not even for a second. Steeling himself, he tied the pink fabric around his eyes and rose to leave the library. He would somehow find a way for them to get out of there, he was sure of it.


	4. Chapter 4

Seto had all but forgotten about the mirror when he returned to the room he slept in. Not only was there a small hand mirror laid on the wooden bench, but also two thick blankets draped over the wood. He wondered if it was the monster’s form of kindness, or if maybe Mary had been the one to bring the mirror at the beast’s orders. 

With a slight smile on his face he wrapped himself in the larger of the two blankets and turned the mirror to face him, the smooth metal cold against his fingers. His own face greeted him, and Seto jumped a little; he hadn’t seen himself in years, and there had been no one to tell him how desperately he needed a hair cut, or much baby fat he’d lost from his cheeks. He had more important things to worry about, however.

The monster had told him how to work it, hadn’t she? Seto took a deep breath, and then released it, condensation fogging the surface of the mirror for just a second. Then he spoke.

"Can I see my family?"

The image of his face wavered and shook, the blobs of color running like paint and re-forming into forms he recognized. The main room of the little cottage took shape, three small shapes seated in front of the fireplace. Kido’s hair was long now and she’d grown tall like him, but she was huddled in Ayano’s lap, her head bowed. Seto couldn’t see her face. Kano leaned against the girls, his back hunched and a forced smile on his face. Though it wasn’t a still picture— the fire flickered and shadows shivered around them— none of them moved an inch.

Seto didn’t understand. Where were the adults? He shook the mirror as if to shuffle the images, but nothing happened. The magic must need a verbal request.

"Where’s, um, where’s Kenjirou?" he asked, his voice soft and guilty like the monster could be listening in. The blobs ran and twisted again, revealing the shape of his father hunched over a desk, his surroundings of a nicer quality than anything Seto had ever seen before coming to this ancient castle. Two noble children were in the background, standing in front of easels, a bowl of fruit on the table. They must be painting it, but Seto only had enough attention for his father and the way his hands shook in the mirror.

The lines on his face made him look decades older than when last Seto had seen him, but maybe the boy’s memory was faulty. He’d only been a child then, after all. 

Seto wondered if his job was going badly, if they were on the edge of starvation again. He’d thought it’d be easier without an extra mouth around to feed, and that had been one of the nice things about living here; he could eat as much as he liked without worrying about who was going to suffer for it. He supposed he had that to blame for his sudden growth spurt.

Just to check, he mumbled, “How ‘bout Ayaka?” 

The mirror went gray, and then his face swam back into view. Seto tried again, but with no results. He didn’t know what that meant. Maybe the mirror was faulty, or maybe there was a range that she’d gone outside of. Of course, there was no reason for her to be far away from the children either…

He set the magical item on the floor under the bench and rolled himself up in the blankets, trying to forget what he’d seen. He focused on the happier parts of the image, like Kano’s smile (although he knew it was forced) and Ayano’s hand combing gently through Kido’s hair. 

Slowly his mind was able to construct a half memory, half fantasy of when they were children and had all slept tangled together for warmth. They’d been too thin, razor elbows digging into his ribs, but they’d been happy. Surely they could be happy again. The mirror might not even work properly, after all.

Seto fell asleep and dreamed of home, of laughter shaking the rafters of the little house. The blankets helped keep the illusion of warmth, and he never wanted to wake up again.

…

He’d forgotten that the monster had said she had a new job since he’d finished the courtyard just the previous day. He was reminded when instead of the old red scarf, his hands found the strip of pink cloth she’d given him. He turned it over in his hands, before tying it around his eyes in a firm knot in the back.

With sure footsteps he made his way to the banquet hall, certain that the monster was going to be waiting for him there. The sound of hissing snakes was entirely absent, however, and he felt his way to the bench at the table, sitting down to wait.

A small hand touched his shoulder.

"Seto?"

He squawked and fell of the end of the bench, hitting the ground hard. His hands fumbled for the blindfold but it was already being pulled off for him, and Mary’s concerned face came into view. 

"A-ah I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, are you okay?" She hovered over him, brushing off his shoulders as though he would have accumulated dust just from falling over. After the initial surprise wore off, Seto laughed. 

"It’s fine! I just wasn’t expecting you." He levered himself to his feet and sat back down, and she joined him on the bench, pulling a plate over to herself and beginning to fill it with food. "I thought the monster would be here, since she said something about me getting a new job to do…"

Mary jumped and hurried to swallow the food in her mouth before speaking. ”Oh! I was supposed to tell you! You’re— she said to say— you’re going to help me clean from now on.”

A happy cloud of warmth filled Seto’s chest. He wouldn’t be alone all day anymore. ”Great! Where do we start?” 

"Ah-ha… well it’s a big project, so anywhere is fine…" Mary concentrated on pushing food around with her fork, and Seto got the feeling she hadn’t done anything herself at all. He didn’t mind.

After breakfast, she somehow procured mops and buckets and sponges from a hidden away room Seto had never even noticed. They began in the far wing, where he’d hardly ever been, and spent the entire day chasing spiderwebs from corners and scrubbing the floor until it shone.

Along the way, though, he asked her questions about living in the castle so long, and she answered slowly and hesitantly. He figured she was just shy, especially since she couldn’t have had much in the way of friends before.

When he went to bed that night his back ached and his throat creaked from overuse. It had been years since he’d laughed that much; reading to the monster wasn’t the same. Still, there was a smile on his face as he fell asleep, and he was almost able to forget the sight in the mirror.


	5. Chapter 5

Seto had known the castle was big, but seeing it from the outside wasn't the same as the knowledge of the map he'd been able to put together in his head. It felt like everyone from the village back home would have been able to live in it, with room to spare. There were hallways upon hallways of storage closets, servant's quarters, and more than one kitchen. He had no idea where half of the staircases led, or why the castle used two when one would do.  
As he and Mary scrubbed the dingy windows in one of the rooms that was probably meant for a maid or gardener, he couldn't help but remark with a laugh that it was still a better living space than the dungeon he slept in now. Although he'd just meant it as a joke-- he'd gotten used to sleeping there by now-- Mary seemed flustered and upset by the comment.

"I'm sorry!" she replied in a rush, and then paused to pull herself together, fiddling with her sponge. Sprawled on his stomach to reach the cobwebs in the far corner beneath the bed, Seto blinked at her over his shoulder, waiting for her to continue. 

"Ah, it's just-- she was scared that you would wander around. And those are the only rooms that lock," she said, apologetic, as though she thought Seto would be angry with her. But if anything, he was glad to have an explanation.  
"I guess that would be pretty dangerous, huh! If I ended up finding her by accident and got turned to stone or something." Seto shrugged, and added in an attempt to make her laugh, "Then you would get stuck hauling statue-me outside! I wouldn't make you do that."

As intended, Mary gave an involuntary squeak of laughter, and Seto grinned, pleased with himself. 

There was something else he was curious about, though. 

"Do you know the monster really well?"

Mary went still, although Seto didn't realize until the silence stretched out far too long. He crawled back out from underneath the old splintered bed, thinking maybe they should just throw the whole thing away instead of leaving it here, and tilted his head at Mary in confusion. Her expression looked frozen, although he couldn't tell in what emotion.

"It's just, you always know what she means by things, and it sounds like you talk to her a lot. I haven't seen her in days, but it makes sense how she's not super lonely if she's spending time with you and stuff."

Although, now that he thought about it, when could Mary and the monster be spending time together? Lately, he'd been with Mary all day, working on cleaning up the castle. She even ate meals with him. He realized he hadn't felt lonely in days. It was an odd feeling, after several years spent all but alone in the castle.

Mary played with her fingers, staring down at her lap. "Something like that... I've been with her since I was little, so sometimes I forget how dangerous she is. I mostly just listen to her, though. I wouldn't call us... friends..."

She seemed desperate to convince Seto that she wasn't allied with the monster and wasn't responsible for for the things the monster had done. He hastened to reassure her.

"Oh! I know that. I know you're trapped here too." It made them similar, the fact that they were both prisoners in this place. 

Seto pushed himself to his feet and offered her a hand to pull her up. "So, where's next?"

"We could..." she paused, "We could clean the ballroom next. It's big, but there isn't a lot of furniture." She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Once standing, she seemed to forget to let go. Seto didn't mind, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance, gesturing towards the door.

"Lead the way!"

...

Mary had not been kidding about the ballroom being big. It was the biggest room he'd ever seen by far, and dust covered the floor from wall to wall. He let Mary concentrate on cleaning the floor, leaving him to use his height to clean the ornaments on the walls. Not an inch of wall was left undecorated; everything was archways and gilding and carvings. Several long mirrors hung from the walls as well, and he carefully pulled them down to clean them until they shone.

Seto couldn't help but wonder if these mirrors were magical as well. It felt silly to try and speak to them with Mary there, so he never tried, but it did make him think. He was checking on his siblings almost every night by that point. Kido and Kano seemed to be out a lot more often, but Ayano was almost always home.

He hadn't been able to get the mirror to show him Ayaka.

He didn't want to think about what that might mean.

All in all cleaning the ballroom took them more than two weeks. In the end, they had to give up on the chandeliers, because neither of them could reach them or figure out how to release the mechanism to lower it to the floor. 

On the last day, Seto helped Mary clean the last patches of the floor. The sun hung low on the horizon by the time they'd finished. Seto looked around with a grin, hands on his hips.

"It looks great!" he said, amazed by how much it shone now. It bore barely any resemblance to the dusty and gray room they'd started with. Now it was all orange and gold and white, and the sun setting lit up the shapes of the gilding on the walls. "It's kind of a shame no one will ever use it, though."

Maybe once upon a time there had been parties and balls in this room, and feasts in the banquet hall attended by more than two hungry children and a monster. He wondered if the monster was the original resident, or if she had taken this castle away from the family that had once occupied it.

He didn't notice Mary studying the room as well until she tugged at his sleeve, shooting him a shy little smile. "Hold on," she said, and he waited as she went to the near wall and pushed a chair against it, climbing up to run her fingers along the brightly colored carvings. There was a coiled rose at the top of a banner, and she curled her fingertips behind it as if trying to pluck it from the wall.

There was a loud clunk that echoed through the almost-empty room. And then music began to play.

Seto had once seen a music box in the cart of a traveling merchant when he was very, very little. The merchant had shown him how to wind it up, and the tinkling sound of music floating from such a tiny box with no musicians in sight had blown him away. This was like that, but even more amazing. He could hear the different instruments, as though the musicians stood in the room with them. But of course, they were still alone. He stared around the room, baffled and amazed.  
Mary hopped down off the chair, dusting off her hands and looking pleased with herself. "It's magic," she told him. "Like the gates. The castle is full of little tricks like that."

"You know how to open the gates?"

Seto's question seemed to disturb her, and her mouth pulled into a little frown. She shook it off, stepping closer with a shy expression. "Didn't you want to--?"

Kenjirou was a tutor for the wealthy, so he'd known all of the formal dances that a young person would ever need to know. He'd taught them to the four of them beside the fireplace on his few visits home, and even though Seto had spent much of those lessons tripping over his own feet and stepping on his partner, he didn't let the memory bother him.

He took Mary's offered hand, his other hand settling at her waist like a memory. With her standing this close, it was impossible not to realize how much he'd grown lately; her forehead was level with his chin, and she had to reach up to rest her hand on his shoulder.

It seemed Mary knew how to dance too.

The knowledge should have made it easier-- and it's not like anyone was watching. But her standing so close only made him flush, and he bit his lip and vowed to do his best not to step on her toes.

The sunset lit up the dusty chandelier above them, scattering little reflections all over the floor. After years spent in the stone castle, and the years before that in the little hut he'd grown up in, the sparkling surroundings felt utterly unreal, and Seto wondered if he was dreaming. He'd never had a dream like this before, but when Mary leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder and a happy shiver shot through him, he didn't think it was strange that he might.  
Stepping carefully around the ballroom, the only sound their footsteps and the magical music, it didn't seem real at all. But if it was a dream, surely he'd have dreamed them better clothes than Mary's raggedy dress or his own scuffed boots and ill-fitting shirt-- he'd had to forage clothes from the closets when he outgrew the ones he'd come here in. The tips of Mary's ears were bright red when he looked, though he couldn't see her face, and somehow that was the thing that made him believe this moment was really taking place. 

The sun continued to set. In what felt like just a few moments but had probably been at least half an hour, it was dark, the refractions of light from the chandelier fading away.

When Seto spoke, his voice was hoarse and he stammered a little, flustered by how affected he felt by the fact that she was still clinging to his shirt.

"I, uh, I can't see anything," he confessed, and Mary laughed into his shirt, her shoulders shaking.

"I'll turn it off," she promised, and before Seto could protest that she'd misstep and fall she vanished into the shadows. The light continued to fade, and he realized that the space where they'd been standing was now mostly lit by a patch of moonlight from the window.

Mary stepped back into the silvery light, and though it washed out the color of her dress and eyes he thought he could still spot a blush on her cheeks.

"I won't let you run into anything," she promised, taking his arm and leading him through the shadows towards the door. He wondered if she could see better in the dark than he could, or if she had just lived here for so long that she didn't need to see to navigate.

Although, now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Mary blindfolded like he often was, out of terror of the monster. Maybe she was used to avoiding the creature's gaze by now.  
He heard the door open and then shut behind them. They were in the hallway now.

"You can find your way back from here, right?" she asked, her grip shifting on his arm, and he nodded before realizing she probably wouldn't be able to see it. Maybe they should get some torches for future or something.

"Yeah, I can. Goodnight, Mary."

Her hands moved to the front of his shirt, and she kissed him on the cheek before releasing him. He blinked in the darkness, wondering if she was gone and hoping her apparent stronger sight wouldn't be able to detect the blush on his cheeks.

"Thanks for helping me clean. Good night."

And then her footsteps disappeared down the hallway, and she really was gone. It took him a few minutes to pull himself together enough to find the wall and place his palm against it, the rough texture bringing him to his senses enough so he could navigate his way back to the dungeons where he slept.

His dreams had nothing to do with dancing, and somehow he was relieved.


	6. Chapter 6

Days passed, and the scenery outside the castle began to change again. Seto took notice of it in his stolen free time, when he went for walks in the courtyard and gardens, but to Mary it barely seemed to register. He wondered if she'd ever left the castle to explore the surrounding forest, since she knew how to work the gates. He wondered a lot of things about Mary, lately.

After the ballroom, the two of them had moved on to clean some of the upper bedrooms, and Seto was bowled over once again by the sheer size of the place. Even though the rooms had fallen into disrepair, it was obvious they'd once been fit for even the highest reaches of nobility. It made him curious about who had once lived in this castle. There weren't any legends about a time when royalty lived in the forest, as far as he knew, but something like this castle couldn't possibly be built in secret.

In the mornings, Seto always waited for Mary in the banquet hall, listening for the noise of her bare feet on the stairs. Sometimes, it did seem a little odd to him that he had no idea where she lived or slept; out of all the rooms that they'd cleaned, none of them had seemed to still be inhabited. But he thought that maybe it was something private, or maybe her room was a mess, and really even the thought of being in Mary's room was making his face heat up, so it was probably for the best that he didn't know.

Today, it seemed like she was running late, and he pushed his food around his plate as he waited for her to arrive. The quiet of the castle was punctuated by the usual creaks and scrapes of stone shifting, but for some reason it made him uneasy today. He tried to ignore the feeling, instead trying to figure out how much longer it would take until they were done cleaning that hall of bedrooms.

He propped his cheek on one palm, shooting a glance towards the window, where the patch of sky showed that the sun was already high and shining. He wondered why Mary was taking so long.

Behind him, the door opened, and he almost turned around to look before the hissing noises alerted him to the newcomer's identity. He fumbled for the pink strip of fabric that he still kept with him, barely managing to knot it around his head to hide his eyes.

"Good morning!" he called out, unsure if he'd get a response.

Seto couldn't remember the last time that he'd crossed paths with the monster. Sometimes he almost forgot that she was there at all, despite her being the reason he was trapped in the first place. Maybe she was avoiding him for some reason? He couldn't think why, however.

"Seto," the monster said, and he jumped in shock. Was that the first time she had said his name? It sounded strange, hissed in the many different voices of the beast. "I have a new task for you."

Did that mean he wouldn't get to clean with Mary anymore? It's not like he had much choice, but if that was the case, he would miss spending time with her.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, and the monster's hissing fell silent.

When she spoke again, it was impossible to discern the emotion in her voice. "I have been a monster since I was born. My mother was a monster, and my grandmother was a monster. However, for her, that is not how it always was."

Seto didn't understand how this had anything at all to do with him. 

"At some point, my grandmother was cursed to live this kind of life." The monster seemed to hesitate, adding in a quieter voice, "And like most curses... It can be broken."

"You want me to break the curse?" Seto asked without thinking, his own voice surprising him in the silence. "I mean, if it's not too hard, I can definitely try."

He didn't think he was prepared to go on a quest or anything, but if it was something a human like him would be able to do--

"It's not difficult, exactly," the monster replied. "It's surprisingly simple. To break the curse, all that's needed is for a human to pledge their heart to me."

Seto's head began to spin, but the monster wasn't done talking.

"You wouldn't need to live in the dungeon anymore-- and since I would no longer be a monster we could visit your family in the village. It would be a good arrangement for both of us."

Despite the words of the monster, which seemed almost to be rehearsed, her voices sounded nervous. Seto couldn't focus on that right now, however.

Love a monster?

It didn't sound like he needed to actually love her-- just to promise he'd stay with her-- but it still seemed impossible. He'd never thought about staying here forever. He'd always hoped he could go home to Kido and Kano one day, when all of his tasks were complete.

And if he loved the monster-- what would Mary say?

It was silly, but that was the one thing he couldn't get out of his head. Mary knew the monster well, she had said, but it didn't sound like they were friends. Mary and he were prisoners together. If he did this, everything would change. In the end, she would become his prisoner too.

He didn't want that at all.

His silence must have given the beast her answer, because he heard the rustle of fabric as she turned away. "You may think about it," she said. 

"Wait!"

Again, Seto had spoken without thinking. He swallowed, gripping the wood of the tabletop.

"I might be able... to do something like that. But I want to ask for something in return." He knew he was bargaining away the rest of his life, but this was the only happy outcome he could think of.

"There's a girl here. Her name is Mary. I want-- if you can let her go, let her leave the castle, then I'll promise my heart to you."

A long silence stretched between the two of them. "Why would you want that?" the monster asked, finally.

There were many ways to answer her question, but Seto blurted out the truest one he could think of. "I don't think I can do this if she's here."

"I can't give you that," the monster snapped back, and Seto flinched back on the hard wooden bench, startled by the sudden anger in her voice. "Think of something else. I'll return later to ask you again."

And then she swept out, leaving Seto sitting alone in the silence.

...

After that, Mary didn't come down to breakfast. Seto waited until he was almost hungry all over again, and then set out to look for her. Maybe she could help him figure out what answer to give to the monster.

He checked the ballroom, the kitchens, and even the library-- after being sure to knock first and make sure the monster wasn't inside. And yet, Mary was nowhere to be seen.

Seto began to get worried.

What if there was a reason the monster wouldn't let Mary leave? What if the beast had lashed out at her in anger, and hurt her because of what he'd said?

Seto was on his way to check, for a second time, the bedrooms they'd been planning to clean, when he paused. There was another way he might be able to find her.

He hurried down to his room and found the mirror, tucked away in the corner. He hadn't checked on his siblings in over a week, but that would have to wait until later.

"Show me Mary, please," he asked, and his own reflection began to blur.

This could be dangerous-- if she was with the monster, and he saw the beast, he had no idea if the ability would carry over through the mirror, and he might be turned to stone. He held his breath, but when the mirror cleared again, he saw that Mary was alone.

She sat on a little stone bench in the garden, her fists balled up and her face bright red. He wondered if she and the monster had had a fight.

That didn't matter right now. He knew where that was; it was behind the castle, near the low point in the wall where he'd been depositing the boulders that he'd cleared away when he first came to live here.

Seto rubbed the cloud of his breath from the mirror with his sleeve, flashing it a quick smile. "Thanks!" he said, even though it was an inanimate object, and rushed off to find Mary.

...

When Seto arrived at the gardens, he was relieved to see her exactly where she'd been in the mirror, perched on the ancient stone bench. From this distance, he couldn't tell if she was pouting, but she probably was.

He felt a fond smile cross his face, the weight of his worries from the conversation with the monster fading away. Mary would know what to do. She knew the monster better than anybody.

He made it three steps before a shadow flickered at the corner of his eye, something seized his collar, and suddenly he was being dragged back behind the trees.

"Don't move," a woman's voice hissed in his ear, but he didn't listen, struggling even as he saw the glint of a knife flash by--

He knocked the stranger back a step, and her hood fell backwards, green hair spilling out into the sunlight. She looked startling familiar. In fact--

"Seto?" Kido asked, astonishment on her face. "You're still alive!"

She lowered the small dagger, but Seto could only focus on his delight at seeing his sister again after all these years.

"You scared me," she said, peering around the tree. "I thought you were another one or something."

"Another one?" he replied with a laugh, "What are you talking about? What are you doing here?"

She shushed him with a wave of her hand, her attention on something else. "We're saving you. Hold on, Kano's going to get the monster."

The monster? 

Curious, Seto leaned around the tree as well, trying to follow her gaze. He could see a dark-cloaked figure creeping towards Mary, who still hadn't looked around.

"H-hang on," he hurried to say, "That's not the monster, that's Mary, she's my friend and--"

"Shh! You'll give us away."

But Seto was already cupping his hands around his mouth, crying out to her, "Mary! Watch out!"

Mary turned, looking over her shoulder. She didn't see him, only the person in the black hood. It looked like she was going to scream.

Before she got the chance, the stranger seized her wrist, plunging a knife deep into her stomach.

By the time Seto reached them, her blue dress was dark in the front with blood, the red seeping into the ground and staining her hair. Kano pulled his hood back, mouth going round in surprise.

"Seto!" he was saying, pulling at his shoulder. "You're alive! You're huge, how did that happen--"

Seto could barely hear him. He'd dropped to his knees beside Mary, horrified by the site of her limp in the grass. She seemed to be trying to talk, but all that came out of her mouth was a slight rasping noise.

"You killed her," he croaked, and Kano at least responded to that.

"I know! The monster's gone, so you're free. We can all go home."

Near Seto's knee was Mary's little key necklace, apparently thrown free from her pocket when she fell. He picked it up, too scared to reach for her trembling hand.

Mary's pink eyes watched him blearily, blood starting to bubble at the corner of her mouth. She tried to speak again, and Seto felt his face contort with grief. 

"I'm sorry," he managed finally, a sob ripping from his chest. "I'm so sorry, Mary..."


End file.
